A Camp Wapanacki Tribute Book
Memories, Photos Sought from Attendees of America’s First Blind Camp
Reverend Theresa Beers Taylor and her organization, Seek the Son Ministries, is soliciting reminiscences and photographs from those who attended Camp Wapanacki, which operated from 1938-1990 in Hardwick in northeastern Vermont.
For Taylor, the Wapanacki program, which was designed for children ages 8-13, played a huge role in her life during the five summers she attended, enabling her to realize that blindness would not stop her from reaching her dreams.
Her current dream is to create a year-round retreat center in central Minnesota accessible to those with disabilities. To that end, she has launched Seek the Son Ministries. The tribute book is the nonprofit’s first marketing initiative.
Camp Wapanacki Changed the Lives of Blind Children
“For me, Camp Wapanacki represented a safe place to try new things like canoeing,” Taylor says. “These trips were challenging, fun, and built both friendships and shared memories.”
Once, a bad thunderstorm hit during a canoe trip on Lake Memphremagog, Taylor recalls. “I was absolutely petrified; I tried to hide under the seat,” she says. “The only thing that kept us from swamping the canoe was being reminded we had the Oreos.”
On the brighter side, Taylor also met Ken, her husband of 21 years, at the camp.
Taylor sees the tribute book as an ideal way to demonstrate the need for and value of institutions such as Camp Wapanacki, places where kids can be kids, regardless of disability.
In addition to canoeing, Camp Wapanacki offered swimming, hiking (including ascents of Mt. Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak), and bonding around games and the campfire. At its height, the camp, owned by the New York State Institute for Special Education, hosted 110 campers in two summer sessions.
Taylor plans to publish the book in accessible formats, including audio, braille, electronic text, and large print. Proceeds will go to Seek the Son Ministries.
How to Submit Stories to the Camp Wapanacki Tribute Book
“Ken and I both realize the importance of Wapanacki in our lives and in our inspiration to form this nonprofit,” Taylor says. They wish to receive stories, personal accounts, reminiscences, and photographs from others in one of the following three ways:
- Fill in the form on the organization’s website
- Send materials and attachments via email
- Send materials (in any format) via postal mail.
How to Contact Seek the Son Ministries
Reverend Theresa C. Taylor
Seek the Son Ministries, Inc.
3821 Reservoir Boulevard NE
Columbia Heights, Minnesota 55421
763.782.9576
About Seek the Son Ministries, Inc.
Seek the Son is a Christian organization for persons with disabilities that provides inspiration and facilitates inclusion of the disabled in church activities. Seek the Son conducts worship services in a variety of settings throughout Minnesota. Reverend Theresa C. Taylor is an ordained pastor through the International Ministerial Fellowship who shares her personal testimony and preaches on topics related to disability, suffering, and loss.
Camp Wapanacki's 220 lakefront acres are now home to a Girl Scout camp. Taylor's tribute book promises to preserve memories of the years when Wapanacki offered life-changing experiences through accessibility, decades ahead of its time.
Seek the Son Seeks Stories of Camp Wapanacki
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Reverend Theresa Beers Taylor and Husband Ken
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